9993. And cakes of unleavened things mixed with oil. That this signifies the purification of the middle celestial, is evident from the signification of “cakes,” as being the middle celestial (of which in what follows); and from the signification of “oil,” as being the good of love (see n. 886, 4582, 4638). From this it is evident that by “cakes mixed with oil” is signified the celestial which is from the inmost, for “oil” denotes the good of love, which is inmost. The case herein is that the heavens have been distinguished into two kingdoms, one of which is called “spiritual,” the other “celestial.” To the spiritual kingdom in the heavens corresponds understanding with man, and to the celestial kingdom corresponds his will (n. 9835). In each kingdom there is an internal and an external, as also with man in his understanding and will; for understanding with man is internal and external, and will is internal and external. Internal understanding makes the spiritual life of the internal man, and external understanding makes the spiritual life of the external man; but internal will makes the celestial life of the internal man, and external will makes the celestial life of the external man. That there is an internal and an external with man, can be seen by everyone who reflects, especially from hypocrites, the deceitful, the cunning, and the malicious, in that interiorly they think contrary to the truths of faith, and also will contrary to the goods of celestial love; but exteriorly they think and will in agreement with them, and also speak and act accordingly, that they may so appear before the world.

[2] Be it known further, that each kingdom in the heavens, namely the spiritual kingdom and the celestial kingdom, is in three divisions, being inmost, middle, and external (see n. 9873). The inmost of the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord; the middle there is the good of mutual love, which is the good thence proceeding; and the external is the delight proceeding from this good. The two former are in the internal man with those who are in the Lord’s celestial kingdom; but the third is in the external with the same. These three were represented by the bread of unleavened things, the cakes of unleavened things mixed with oil, and the wafers of unleavened things anointed with oil; and their purification is represented by the offering of these three upon the altar together with the burnt-offering or sacrifice. That such things are signified in order, can be seen merely from the fact that these three were commanded, and their preparation is also described, in the books of Moses, which would by no means have been done unless they had involved arcana of heaven and the church. Otherwise of what use would such things be?

[3] But I know that at the present day scarcely anyone can apprehend these arcana, for the reason that at this day everything in the understanding and the will is worldly, and they who think about heaven, and desire it, have and are willing to have no other idea of it than a natural and earthly one; and where there is such an idea, and such a will, thus such a love, there the arcana of heaven have no place. Very different would it be if the mind were more delighted with heavenly things than with worldly ones, for a man apprehends what delights him; as when he is delighted with the arcana of the civil state in kingdoms, and with those of the moral state with man. By “the moral state” is meant that of the loves and affections, and of the derivative thoughts, the arcana of which a shrewd man easily perceives, because he delights to lead others by them, in order to secure honors, gain, or reputation for the sake of these.

[4] That “cakes” signify the [middle] celestial in the internal man, is because they are in the second rank; for in the first rank is bread of unleavened things; in the second are cakes mixed with oil; and in the third are wafers anointed with oil. These three were called “meat-offerings,” and were offered on the altar together with burnt-offerings and sacrifices. How they were to be prepared is described in Leviticus 2; and how they were to be offered is described in various passages, as by Aaron on the day of his anointing, in Leviticus 6:13-16.

[5] By “cakes” in the Word is also meant the good of love in general; from which it is that the “breads of faces,” or “of setting forth,” are called “cakes” in Moses:

Thou shalt take fine flour, and bake it into twelve cakes; of two tenth parts shall one cake be. And thou shalt set them on the table before Jehovah. And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row (Leviticus 24:5-9).

The “pure frankincense put upon the cakes” signified truth from celestial good, which is the ultimate or outermost of the celestial kingdom.

[6] By “cakes” is also signified the good of love in general, in Jeremiah:

The sons gather wood, and the fathers kindle a fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out drink-offerings to other gods (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:19);

“to make cakes to the queen of the heavens” denotes to worship the devil from the good of celestial love; and “to pour out drink-offerings to other gods” denotes to worship Satan from the truths of faith. For by “the queen of the heavens” are signified those who are in the hell of genii; and by “other gods,” those who are in the hell of evil spirits (on which see n. 5977, 8593, 8622, 8625). They who are in the hell of genii are collectively called “the devil;” and they who are in the hell of evil spirits are called “Satan.”

[7] But the good of spiritual love is signified by “cakes” in Hosea:

Ephraim hath become a cake not turned (Hos. 7:8);

but “cake” is here expressed by another term in the original tongue, which signifies the good of spiritual love; a cake is “not turned” when the external man rules over the internal. When this is the case with man, the order is inverted; for then the external rules, and the internal serves. “Ephraim” denotes the intellectual of the church, which is enlightened and affected when the truths and goods of faith are received.

2715. There are two arcana here, one, that the good of the spiritual man is comparatively obscure; and the other, that this obscurity is illuminated by the Lord’s Divine Human. As regards the first, that good with the spiritual man is comparatively obscure, this is evident from what was said above concerning the state of the spiritual man in comparison with the state of the celestial man (n. 2708); for by comparing these states the fact becomes manifest. With the celestial, good itself is implanted in their will part, and light comes therefrom into their intellectual part; but with the spiritual all the will part has been destroyed, so that they have nothing of good from it; and therefore good is implanted by the Lord in their intellectual part (see n. 863, 875, 895, 927, 928, 1023, 1043, 1044, 2124, 2256). The will part is what chiefly lives in man, while the intellectual lives from it. As therefore the will part has been so destroyed with the spiritual man as to be nothing but evil, and yet evil flows in from it perpetually and continually into his intellectual part, that is, into his thought, it is evident that the good there is comparatively obscured.

[2] Hence it is that the spiritual have not love to the Lord, as have the celestial, and consequently they have not the humiliation which is essential in all worship, and by means of which good can flow in from the Lord; for an elated heart does not receive at all, but a humble heart. Neither have the spiritual love toward the neighbor, as the celestial have for the love of self and the world continually flows in from their will part, and obscures the good of that love; as must also be evident to everyone if he reflects, by considering that when he does good to anyone it is for the sake of an end in the world; and that therefore, although he is not doing so consciously, still he is thinking of a recompense, either from those to whom he does good, or from the Lord in the other life; thus that his good is defiled by the idea of merit, as also by considering that when he has done any good, if he can make it known and thus set himself above others, he is in the delight of his life. But the celestial love the neighbor more than themselves; nor do they think at all of recompense, nor in any manner set themselves up above others.

[3] Moreover, the good that is with the spiritual has been obscured by persuasions from various principles arising also from the love of self and of the world. The quality of their persuasion even of faith may be seen above (n. 2682, 2689 the end); this likewise is from the influx of evil from their will part.

[4] Moreover that the good with the spiritual man is obscure in comparison, is evident from the fact that he does not know what is true from any perception, as the celestial do, but from instruction from parents and masters, and also from the doctrine into which he was born; and when he superadds anything from himself and from his thought, then for the most part the sensuous and its fallacies, and the rational and its appearances, prevail, and cause him to be scarcely able to acknowledge any pure truth, such as the celestial acknowledge. Nevertheless in those seeming truths the Lord implants good, even if the truths are fallacious, or appearances of truth; but the good becomes obscure from them, being qualified by the truths with which it is conjoined. The case with this is as with the light of the sun flowing into objects. The quality of the objects which receive it causes the light to appear there under the aspect of color, beautiful if the quality of the form and of the reception is becoming and correspondent, but unbeautiful if the quality of the form and of the reception is not becoming, and thus not correspondent. In this manner the good itself is qualified according to the truth.

[5] The same is also manifest from the fact that the spiritual man does not know what evil is. He scarcely believes any other things to be evil than those which are contrary to the precepts of the Decalogue, and is not aware of the evils of affection and thought, which are innumerable; nor does he reflect upon them, nor call them evils. All delights whatever of cupidities and pleasures he regards no otherwise than as good; and the very delights of the love of self he both seeks after, and approves, and excuses, being ignorant that such things affect his spirit, and that he becomes altogether such in the other life.

[6] From this it is in like manner evident that though scarcely anything else is treated of in the whole Word than the good of love to the Lord and of love toward the neighbor, still the spiritual man does not know that good is the essential of faith, nor even what love and charity are in their essence; and that as to what he has learned of faith, which he makes essential, he nevertheless discusses whether it be so, unless he has been confirmed by much experience of life. This the celestial never do, for they know and perceive that it is so. Hence it is said by the Lord in Matthew:

Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; what is more than these is of evil (Matthew 5:37).

For the celestial are in the truth itself respecting which the spiritual dispute whether it be so; hence, as the celestial are in the truth itself, they can see from it endless things which belong to that truth, and thus from light see as it were the whole heaven. But as the spiritual dispute whether it be so, they cannot, so long as they do this, come to the first boundary of the light of the celestial, still less look at anything from their light.